Expanding and funding pharmacy services pitched to ease healthcare crisis

“Could save a lot of trips to the ER,” says Pharmacy Association CEO

CITYnews halifax \ Adam Inniss

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With strain on Nova Scotia’s healthcare system worsening, the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia is asking the government to expand, and provide more funding to, pharmacy services in the province.

“We could avoid a lot of trips to the ER,” said Allison Bodnar, CEO of the Pharmacy Association.

Recently, the province has expanded the scope of practice for Pharmacists in Nova Scotia. Pharmacists can renew prescriptions for most medications, provide contraception management, and other provide services that were previously restricted to doctors.

“The problem isn’t scope, Nova Scotia has one of the widest scopes of practice for pharmacists in Canada,” said Bodnar

“The problem,” says Bodnar, “is funding.”

Assessments for these services from pharmacists are not free. A typical assessment at a pharmacy costs $25.

“It’s not a ton of money, but it’s still a barrier for many…we’re in a system where people think we have mostly free healthcare, and they will make a choice to wait rather than pay. It’s creating a backlog in the system,” said Bodnar.

Bodnar wants to see the contract between pharmacies and governments amended  to better fund these services. By doing this, Bodnar believes they can provide more “access points” for people needing healthcare in the province.

“It’s not going to solve our current healthcare problems, but it can help.”